The Art and Science of Sports Maintenance Massage

"Sports maintenance massage" is performed when an athlete has reduced his or her training schedule, is not competing, or during the athlete's "off-season." A sports maintenance massage works with an athlete's strength, flexibility, coordination, biomechanics, posture, stress patterns, scar tissue and existing injuries.

It also allows the therapist and athlete to work together to create the greatest changes for the athlete.

Information used in sports maintenance massage is gathered from discussing the athlete's goals, watching the athlete's workouts or competitions, recording current or previous injuries and prior treatments, including massage, and setting specific goals for a sports maintenance massage program.

Sometimes, athletes do not perform well during a season because of a recurring injury. There is not time for massage, long rest periods and specific exercises for proper rehabilitation during the season, and most athletes do not want to miss playing because of injuries, so they return to action even though their injuries have not healed sufficiently. This is why sports maintenance massage is performed when the athlete is not competing or during the off-season.

For example, a sports maintenance massage might involve working with an athlete who has had a recurring hamstring problem. Some considerations for the application of massage would include looking at the athlete's biomechanics, posture, flexibility, strength, scar tissue formation, and other contributing factors. Athletes that suffer from low back pain will tighten their hamstrings to compensate for the injury. Working on the hamstrings will not eliminate the cause - it will only treat the symptom. If the problem is directly within the hamstring, the first consideration should be to determine if the injury is in the acute or chronic stage. An injury in the acute stage could be red, hot, swollen and painful, and working directly on the site of injury in this stage would be contraindicated.

When the injury is in the chronic stage, nonspecific compression of the site, range-of-motion movements and ice treatments would be appropriate. Advance to cross fiber friction with movement and ice treatments as the injury heals. Strengthen and stretch the hamstrings once the athlete can go through a full range of motion without pain.

Whatever the course of action in sports maintenance massage, an athlete must be allowed ample time to heal and incorporate the massage treatments into his or her performance. Sometimes it takes weeks to resolve a specific problem properly. Learning to apply sports massage properly is a never-ending process, and understanding the timing of the treatment is crucial to effective sports application. Sports maintenance massages are where the greatest changes can occur.

This article originally appeared on massagetoday.com and was written by Michael McGillicuddy

What is Therapeutic Massage?

Therapeutic Massage

Therapeutic massage seeks to obtain a therapeutic benefit. While therapeutic massage is often relaxing, the end goal of the session or series of sessions is not relaxation.

Therapeutic goals can vary considerably between massage therapists and clients. In some cases, massage is recommended by a health professional and may be performed as part of a larger treatment plan. For example, someone attending physiotherapy for an injury might have regular therapeutic massage to loosen muscles, improve muscle tone, and increase their flexibility. Likewise, therapeutic massage can be used to supplement wound care, cancer care, and a variety of other treatments.

People can use therapeutic massage as a standalone treatment. Some people, such as athletes, labourers or stressed out even office workers, receive regular therapeutic massage to keep themselves in good physical condition.

People of all ages can benefit from therapeutic massage when it is performed by a competent and fully qualified remedial massage therapist. Massage is also suitable for people with disabilities, expecting mothers, and people in treatment for medical conditions, although some special precautions may need to be taken to protect the health of the client.

Basic therapeutic massage techniques are derived from a variety of massage styles. Your massage therapist will tailor your massage techniques depending on your needs. If you are unsure whether or not massage is appropriate for you, please call us at PhysioWorks for individualised advice.

How Does a Therapeutic Massage Help You?

Therapeutic Massage is a combination of Relaxation Massage and Remedial Massage to not only relax your whole body but at the same time, work through some of the muscle issues or “tight spots” you may be experiencing.

Massage therapy may also improve your circulation, which enhances the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscle cells and helps remove waste products or reduce swelling. These circulatory effects of massage may have value in the treatment of some inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis.

Massage therapy induces a relaxation response, which lowers your heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure; plus boosts your immune system; and generally decreases the physical effects of stress.

These effects suggest that massage may be helpful for a wide range of conditions.

What Conditions Benefit from a Therapeutic Massage?

Massage therapy helps your body in numerous ways. Massage can relax muscle tissue, which may lead to decreased joint and nerve compression, increased joint and muscle range of motion. This commonly results in less pain and improved function.

Therapeutic massage benefits the following conditions:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• General Wellbeing
• High Blood Pressure
• Arthritis
• Low Immunity
• Minor injuries

When are the Best Times for a Therapeutic Massage?

The best time for a therapeutic massage is when you feel yourself getting worked up or when you are just not feeling your best.

Others find a regular therapeutic massage every month or two to be a great dose of prevention therapy. We even have some highly stressed patients who have weekly massages just to cope with daily life.

What Duration is the Best Therapeutic Massage?

If you have never had a therapeutic massage before or it has been quite some time since your last massage then your initial treatment should ideally be for 60 to 90 minutes so that the therapist can work through those tired muscles at an even pace to minimise any possible soreness the following day. 

If you are a more regular massage recipient, your massage therapist will guide you as to the direction that works best for you and your muscles.

What Massage Frequency Works Best?

Everyone needs differ depending on your lifestyle. As a guide, regular therapeutic massages work best when on a 4 to 6-week basis. This is because your muscles need to keep relaxed and moving through their full available range. Otherwise, they become “creatures of habit”. If tense is how they are most often, that’s what they will consider normal. And… we all know what that leads to… tight muscles, stress, and pain!

For optimal results and less potential for muscle soreness the day post-massage, having a regular massage will keep your body from not only reacting to the positive change we are trying to provide, but it can also retrain your body to help itself and provide you with a better healthier you.

For advice specific to your therapeutic needs, please ask your massage therapist how regularly they feel that you should have a massage to function optimally.

This article originally appeared on physioworks.com.au and was written by Jodie Woulfe

Massage Therapy and Pain Management

Incorporating massage therapy into comprehensive pain management programs may yield better outcomes.

A growing body of research shows massage therapy can be an effective part of pain relief and management. This research data, and the experience of physicians, massage therapists, and patients should encourage pain specialists to consider incorporating massage therapy into their pain management programs.

Some base findings about the value of massage therapy for pain relief have included the following:

1. According to Cherkin, Eisenberg, et. al. in the April 2001 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine,1 massage is effective for providing long-lasting relief for patients suffering from chronic low back pain.
2. Data collected nearly 10 years ago indicates that therapeutic massage promotes relaxation and alleviates the perception of pain and anxiety in hospitalized cancer patients.2 Recent studies have confirmed the findings and others indicate positive effects for massage in decreasing pain intensity among cancer patients.3
3. In 1990, Jensen et al. published data indicating that massage was better than cold pack treatment of post-traumatic headaches.4 The October 2002 issue of the American Journal of Public Health reports that new research by Quinn, Chandler and Moraska showed muscle-specific massage therapy is effective for reducing the incidence of chronic tension headaches.5
4. A pilot study in 2000, conducted by Gregory P. Fontana, MD at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, found that massage reduces pain and muscle spasms in patients who have multiple incisions. When surveyed, 95 percent of patients felt that massage therapy was a crucial part of their hospital experience, while need for medications dropped on days they received a massage.

In the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals: The Official Handbook of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), updated in August 2000, recommends massage as a non-pharmacological therapy that can be used successfully in pain management. Some hospitals, because of public demand, are including massage therapists on patient care teams to fight pain. The teams may include a physician, several nurses, a nutritionist, a yoga instructor, a chaplain, and a massage therapist. More research needs to be done to evaluate the effectiveness of such teams and the optimum combination of therapies for different types of patients and different types of pain.

The effectiveness of massage lies in a simple and direct strategy: working from the external, outer mechanisms of pain to the primary, root cause. Massage therapists utilize a holistic approach, focusing on the entire body system and its relationship to soft tissue — their care is not focused solely at the site of pain.

Another benefit of massage therapy — from a patient perspective — is that it helps patients become more aware of their bodies and better familiarize them with the pain they experience. The massage therapist not only helps relieve muscle and other soft tissue pain, but also has an impact on the patient by virtue of human touch. This is especially pronounced for women facing mastectomies and dealing with the outcomes of that surgery. While women directly benefit from various forms of massage that focus on lymph drainage and muscle pain, massage also helps them feel comfortable once again with their bodies, improves their confidence and allows them to better deal with pain.

Although more research is needed to confirm the optimal uses of massage, the potential for a positive impact on patients with acute or chronic pain is clear. As it stands, enough research exists to encourage pain management specialists and massage therapists to forge professional relationships. These pain management relationships should exist in the hospital, in clinics, in private practice offices and in home care.

This article originally appeared practicalpainmanagement.com and was written by Brenda Griffith.

Balanced Health Care: Float Therapy & Massage

Float therapy is a form of non-touch therapy for relieving stress and it's symptoms in the mind and body. It's for people of all ages and a range of issues and purposes. A float tank is a large, covered bath-tub-like container filled with a water solution heated to skin temperature and is well saturated with approx. 800lbs of Epsom salts, hence why it feels silky and warm when you lie in it. You will simply step in, lay down and relax.

We recommend you try 3 floats within 10 - 14 days to understand how it feels and how it works. By consistently relaxing you help calm the mind and body, which in turn restores the body's own healing systems, allowing stress hormone levels to drop, enabling better repair of injuries, normalizes metabolism, improves circulation and cellular transport and absorption of nutrients, and reduces soft tissue and joint pain, all from relaxing.

With your first float you will familiarize yourself with the environment, salt water and buoyancy. You will also experience deep relaxation and probably sleep quite well that night.

The second float is when you will experience an even deeper sense of relaxation where you enjoy peace and quiet, and perhaps notice your aches and pains diminish or disappear completely. 

During your third float and having learned previously from the environment and float you will feel significant benefits of deep relaxation and can release yourself in to a calm state easily and sooner than before.

Some known benefits of regular floating:

• reduces anxiety, blood pressure (anxiety related), and inflammation (cortisol levels drop)
• excellent strategy for pain management and treatment of arthritic pain, joint pain, neck & back pain, Lactic acidosis, Sciatic pain, tension/migraines/headaches, PMS and whiplash.
• helps resolve PTSD, insomnia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS (Multiple Sclerosis).
• improves circulation, tissue repair and mobility.
• prepares to the body for and relaxes it after physical activity or strain, like cycling, running, hiking, golfing, gardening, etc.
• helps to improve coping skills by physiologically clearing the body of stress symptoms.
• increases resistance to stress.

If you have been on your feet all day, Float Therapy reverses gravity's effects on your body. 

The buoyancy produced by the salt water solution helps relieve, release and expand joints to their normal spacing and position. The heated temperature of the water soothes soreness and helps expand blood vessels, improving circulation all over the body.

Enjoying one hour of Float Therapy is equivalent to a restful 3-4 hour sleep. Floating helps restore normal sleeping patterns.

The pressure from pregnancy is resolved and released during a float and is perfect for women in their 3rd Trimester for relieving heavy back and hip pain and reducing inflammation.

Float Therapy along with Massage Therapy offers a balance for resolving patterns of pain, relaxing tensions away, restoring health and improving coping skills in mind and body. Combining the two therapies is complete health care. 

Sports Massage and Float Therapy - Rest / Recovery, Pre / Post Training

Wear and tear and the inability to heal (well or quickly) is frustrating and creeps up if neglected. It holds you back and can cause debilitating problems for the future. These are quickly resolved with combining massage and floating.

Float Therapy helps accelerate restoration of tissue and recovery between training sessions, helping you build muscle and repair injuries. 

Relaxed athletes have better performance and mental stamina to keep up with the demands.

With regular floating, Float Therapy helps athletes overcome exhaustion, fatigue, poor sleep, fogginess, anxiety, depression and weak immune systems.

Rehabilitative Massage and Float Therapy - Restore strength and balance.

Chronic pain, old injuries, poor posture, accidents, lifestyle (changes), mental stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD all play a roll on how our body feels, endures stress and moves in it's environment.

Massage reduces tensions locked in muscles and helps realign joints and fascia to improve nerve communication, mobility, strength, and in turn increases flexibility, range of motion and balance.

By regularly floating you will restore your sense of well being, reduce pain and nurture your body to repair itself between massage appointments. Float Therapy will reduce stress hormone levels 

If you find yourself struggling with aches and pains that are a result of old physical/mental traumas, misalignment, injury or mental stress, by giving your body the opportunity to regularly relax will restore it's ability to heal itself better and improve your coping skills.

Floatation Tanks and Hygiene

Water is circulated by filtration pump through a 20 micron filter between each Float Therapy appointment and further sanitized with ozone, UV light, a safe, non-toxic pool-grade oxidizing solution, Peroxysan, and enzymes. Water quality checks are performed regularly.

Currently available at our clinic is a special maintenance package:

5 Massages + 5 Floats for $495 - regularly $800. This package is perfect for a year long maintenance plan. Float Therapy and Massage appointments can be made back to back or spread out. To purchase your package, follow this link to our online store.